Daily News | This Princeton educator teaches virtual English classes to Afghan girls around the world
Every Thursday night, English teacher Seth Holm logs on to his computer to help Afghan girls half a world away with their English language skills.
of Princeton heeded the call and started the online class in 2022. Founded in 1914, the exclusive private boarding and day school serves about 670 sixth through 12th graders from around the world.Holm, a dorm parent who lives on campus with his wife, Lauren, and two children, begins the weekly class from his office about 9:30 p.m. Because of the 9½-hour time difference, it is early Friday morning where most of the girls live.
The girls offered mixed reviews about the story of a young Hazara girl who falls in love with a Taliban boy. Some young men have no choice but to join Taliban forces, one girl said. Another offered that she could never feel sorrow for a Taliban member.“What would be the good of empathizing with someone who thinks like a Taliban?” one of the girls asked.When the discussion grew heated with some girls choking back tears, Holm gently intervened.
The idea for the class came from Zahra, a student who fled Afghanistan in 2021 to escape the Taliban and desperately wanted to help girls back home. At the Hun School, the class has grown into a humanitarian mission on the bucolic 50-acre campus just down the street from Princeton University. Hun students help with a study-buddy program and a one-on-one tutoring program. A new project with the nonprofitAfghan Education Student Outreach Project
Holm, chairman of Hun’s modern languages and classics department, has taken on extra duties to promote the project and raise funds. He recently spearheaded an exhibit in Lawrenceville showcasing artwork, clothing, photos, essays, and jewelry made by the students. The proceeds will be used to provide internet access and pay for English proficiency exams the girls must take to apply for most scholarships, he said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Abducted Princeton Student’s Friends Warn ‘Lies’ Could Get Her KilledSources who spoke with The Daily Beast said they were “appalled” by the flurry of attacks on Elizabeth Tsurkov, a 36-year-old researcher kidnapped in Iraq.
Read more »
Young Afghan women in a N.J. English class share dreams in their writings: ‘I request you not to leave us’Through lectures and writing assignments, the girls are encouraged to express themselves to cope with depression. “It’s more than a class,” said their teacher. “It’s like a therapy session.'
Read more »
U.S. Afghan interpreter killed working as D.C. rideshare driverA father of four who worked as an interpreter for U.S. special forces in Afghanistan before fleeing the country for safety in America has been fatally shot while working as a rideshare driver in Washington, D.C. this week, relatives and authorities say.
Read more »
WEi to release English version of 'Overdrive' single | allkpopWEi are releasing an English version of their digital single 'OVERDRIVE'!On July 7, WEi announced on Twitter they'd be dropping a new versio…
Read more »
Former Afghan interpreter who worked with U.S. forces killed in Northeast D.C.A 31-year-old father who’d worked as an Afghan interpreter for the U.S. military was shot and killed in Washington on Monday, according to police.
Read more »
Former Afghan Interpreter With U.S. Military Killed While Working As Lyft Driver In D.C.Ahmad Yar served alongside the U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan for a decade until the Taliban seized control of the country, according to his family.
Read more »